Acidic metabolites derived from the metabolism of the corticosteroid 17 beta-ketol side-chain have been identified in human and animal urine. The proposed research is to evaluate ester derivatives of the acidic steroids and two new classes of steroids with modified ketol side-chains as local anti-inflammatory agents devoid of systemic glucocorticoid effects. This is to be accomplished by determining anti-inflammatory activities, glucocorticoid activities, effects on the pituitary-adrenal axis, and examining the metabolism and pharmacokinetics of the steriods with respect to various routes of administration in laboratory animals. The metabolic studies will employ radioactively labeled steroids until a specific analytical technique, such as mass fragmentography, is developed to measure acidic steroids.